24 Hours to Live
by MikiStatic
Summary: Following a fatal injury, Yachiru has only 24 hours to live. Kenpachi decides to give give her the best last-day anyone could hope for, but he won't tell her she's dying, of course. What will he do when it comes to saying goodbye? T for some swearing.
1. Prologue

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach. If I did, terrible things would happen! YAY! Anyway, Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. Not me._**

**_Erm... Yachiru was mortally injured while fighting menos and now lies dying in the Fourth Division hospital-thing. Enjoy._**

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_Yachiru…_

Kenpachi paced up and down the corridor, like an angry lion in a cage. Everyone who so much as glanced at him received a glare that would haunt their nightmares for all eternity.

_Yachiru…_

He clenched his fists, hissed, snarled… but nothing would stop the pitying looks coming in his direction.

_Yachiru…_

Why wouldn't they stop staring, damnit!

Words crowded into his mouth, 90 of them inappropriate for young ears. He filled his lungs with air, preparing to vent out the frustration that had been building up inside him-

-when the door slid open.

At once, he forgot his anger.

"How is she?"

Captain Unohana bowed her head, eyes dark with sorrow.

"Not- not _dead?"_

"No. Not yet."

Angry again.

"What d'you mean '_not yet?_' SPEAK, woman!"

She stepped aside, allowing him to see the delicate figure of his vice-captain lying limply on the bed.

Not awake, but still breathing.

"I have given her a drug that will soon wake her up. It allows her an additional 24 hours of borrowed time before she dies."

His mouth went dry.

"Well then what are you waiting for, woman? Why not give it to her each day so that she lives?"

She only shook her head sadly, "Take it once and you will live. Take it twice and you will die."

"Oh."

_Shit..._

He ground his teeth, staring at the motionless figure under the blanket. Somewhere behind him, he heard the door slide shut again as Unohana left.

_Oh shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…_

24 hours to live.

What was he going to do?

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**_Erm... that was the prologue. What do you think? Should I continue with this? Please review!_**


	2. Waking

_**DISCLAIMER: Me no owny Bleach. Tite Kubo does.**_

_**I do hope I did this chapter ok! (It's my first many-chaptered fic so I don't really know how to go about this)**_

_**If I start making major edits to this story between now and the next chapter, it probably means something's gone horribly wrong in my planning. (As it often does.) So sorry!**_

_**The lines didn't work in the last chap. Hopefully they'll work now:**_

* * *

Yachiru's vision swam before her eyes, presenting strange and wonderful shapes to her. Blinking to clear it, she sat up and peered though the dimness of the room.

"Ken-chan!"

The hulking figure by the window looked up, regarding her with a stern gaze.

"You finally up?"

"Ken-chaaan! What happened? Why am I in hospital?"

He grunted, turning to look out through the window again. "It was just a scratch. Nothing serious. You're free to go whenever you want."

There was a long silence.

Shifting from foot to foot, he surreptitiously glanced back, only to find her gazing at him with an odd expression on her face.

"What?"

No response.

"What?!"

"Nothing."

She slid off the bed and wiggled her arms and legs, jumping up and down to get some feeling into them.

"So, Ken-chan, what are we gonna do today?"

He merely grunted. "You need to report back to the others. Tell them you're all right."

She yawned, stretched, strapped her pink sword to her side.

"Sounds ok to me!"

Leaping onto his shoulder, she whistled in time to the merry jingling of his bells.

"Let's go then!"

--

"_Vice-Captain Yachiru Kusajishi of the 11__th__ Division has been fatally injured during a menos battle, and has only 24 hours to live." He panted, leaning against the doorframe for support. "Captain Zaraki Kenpachi orders everyone in the Soul Society to act as normal, and not to speak a word of her condition."_

Ikaku fiddled nervously with his sword hilt, trying to shut out the echoing of Hanatarou's words in his head. A quick glance at Yumichika told him he was not alone.

"What are we going to do?" He muttered, leaning across the table in an effort to hide his fears.

Yumichika shrugged, listlessly twisting a lock of hair around his fingers.

"Act normal, I guess. Like the captain said."

"Yes, but-"

"GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!"

Ikaku choked and leapt to his feet, along with everyone else in the room. Unconsciously smoothing down his uniform and rubbing his bald head, he stood as straight as he could and fixed what he hoped was a convincing smile on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yumichika carefully preen his hair into shape and straighten his eyebrows.

"Good morning baldy! Good morning pretty-boy!"

_She doesn't look fatally wounded at all!_

"G-good morning, vice-captain!" He stammered, his voice sounding at the pitch usually reserved for dogs like Captain Komamura. From what he could see, Yumichika wasn't doing much better. (The poor man was trying so hard to smile that it looked like he had a toothache.)

"Well?" The little girl demanded, standing on tiptoes to look him in the eye. "Aren't you pleased to see me?"

"Yes," he squeaked, eyes watering, "Very pleased, vice-captain! It's been extremely lonely without you!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Really?"

"YES!"

"Good!"

Pivoting on her toes, she hopped onto the table top to address the company, looking for all the world like an innocent little toddler.

_She hasn't changed one bit!_

"Everyone, I'd like to thank you for all your hard work while I was away! If you keep on being good, Ken-chan might give you a cookie!"

She paused, beckoning for an appreciative round of applause. Nothing happened.

"What's the matter with you all?" boomed the voice of Kenpatchi from somewhere near the door.

A cheer worthy of a football stadium filled the room.

"That's better!" Yachiru smiled, eyes twinkling mischievously as she regarded the faces upturned towards her.

"Baldy! Pretty-boy! You have to come and play with me today!"

He exchanged a helpless glance with Yumichika.

"Everyone else gets the day off! Sake all round!"

Another riotous cheer accompanied the four of them as they left, loud enough to lift the roof. Yachiru was on back Kenpachi's shoulder, waving a fond adieu to the grinning faces. It was just like another normal day.

However, as Ikaku slid the door shut, he heard the room behind him fall into sudden silence.

_Just act normal, guys__…_

_Act normal._

_**I hope this turned out ok. I'd also like to thank all of my reviewers so far! -gives them candy- YAY!**_

_**I'd like some more though. -hint hint- Please review? Ken-chan will give you a cookie!**_


	3. Playing

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does. Uh-huh._**

**_Thank you to the person who told me about my misspelling of Kenpachi! I've gone back and changed it all now. I would have replied to your review, but I've only figured out how to do that NOW, so it seemed a bit late. -sweatdrops- Thanks anyway!_**

**_For some reason, I found this chapter really hard to write. (Which is why it took so long to update) The words just wouldn't come..._**

**_Well I hope you enjoy anyway!_**

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All 1000 years of hollow-fighting experience hadn't prepared Yumichika enough for this.

"PRETTY BOY! PRETTY BOY! I'VE FOUND YOU PRETTY BOY!"

_Ah crud._

And off he was again, fleeing for his life through the streets of Seireitei. Playing tag with Yachiru was probably one of the most _traumatic_ experiences he'd been through since joining the Eleventh Division.

"PRETTY BOOOOY! COME BACK!"

_Remind me never to do this again!_

But as soon as these words flashed across his mind, he found himself slowing to a halt.

_Of course… I really WILL never do this again…_

Suddenly, the world seemed very still.

"GOTCHA!"

In an explosion of colours and lights, he found himself being tackled to the ground by what seemed like a round, pink puffball.

"What's the matter, pretty boy? Did you get tired?"

He blinked stupidly.

_Act normal!_

"No! I mean – yes! I'm – exhausted right now! Yes! Absolutely exhausted!" He gabbled, feeling his stomach plummet several inches as she gave him an odd look.

"Tired? Already?"

_ARG!_

"Yes!" He tried and failed to push her off him. "Vice-Captain has greatly improved her speed since – since – before!"

She stared at him.

"Before?"

"Yes! Before!" He gasped, fervently praying someone would come to his rescue.

And for once in his life, his prayers were answered.

"An unseemly sight, Vice-Captain Kusajishi - Fifth-Seat Yumichika."

Staring up at the towering figure of Byakuya Kuchiki, the poor man felt the remnants of his sanity slowly disintegrate.

He leapt to his feet and choked: "This - this isn't what it looks like, Captain Kuchiki!"

He gave them a stern look. (Or at least, it _looked _like a stern look. You could never quite tell with people like Captain Kuchiki; perhaps he was just bored.)

"Vice-Captain Kusajishi," he began, looking directly at the little girl sitting on the floor. "I believe the Eleventh Division has a progress report due tomorrow."

Yachiru thought carefully about this.

"We do? I didn't know that."

Ayasegawa groaned inwardly._ Where's the Captain when you need him?! Oh yeah - he was smart enough not to get caught._

Byakuya's eyebrows shot upwards. Yumichika considered running for cover.

"I expect you should be working on it today then, instead of wasting your time doing…" his eyes strayed over the cowering Soul Reaper, "_unseemly things."_

_But doesn't he KNOW?_

"W-wait a minute Captain-" he started, but found his voice dying to a squeak as the stately figure held up a hand.

"However,"

_However…?_

"Following Captain Jushirou's latest attack of tuberculosis, the Sixth Division has just been weigh laid with all of the Thirteenth Division's paperwork."

He paused, giving them all another one of his stern/bored looks.

"Therefore, I will not have the time to review the Eleventh Division's report. It will be due this Friday instead."

Yachiru was gazing up at him, her mouth forming a little 'o' as she grappled with this concept.

"So… that gives me… five days to do it?"

"Six."

Yumichika felt his stomach back flip several times. Could it possibly be…

_Captain Kuchiki has a heart after all?_

"THANK YOU! BYA-CHAN!"

'Bya-chan's' eye twitched slightly, as he found his lower half engulphed in a bright, pink hug. He allowed this 'unseemly' display of affection to continue for several moments, before prising her arms off him, one after the other.

If Yumichika thought this was unusual, he was about to receive the shock of his life.

_Captain Kuchiki was presenting the Vice-Captain with a **dumpling.**_

He choked, blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

Yes, with eyes dignify-ably closed, Byakuya Kuchiki was pushing a large dumpling into the vice-captain's mouth.

Vaguely, he wondered why it wasn't raining cats yet.

Leaving Yachiru to munch happily on her second breakfast, (with a reminder that she had a vice-captain meeting in 15 minutes), the captain strode away, as dignified and elegant as he had come. He left only a few words:

"_Have fun."_

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**_Ugh... this chapter was an epic fail in my opinion. It felt really... sluggish. And it sort of fell apart towards the end. Or maybe that's just because I'm suffering from lack of sleep. Either way, I'd love to know what YOU thought! So please review! Bya-chan will give you a dumpling!_**

**_(...No I am not making the Bleach characters give out food for reviews)_**

**_I'll revise this if you guys thought it was bad by the way! It wasn't as sad as the other ones... I think. Oh well, I'm saving the sadness for later. Thanks for reading!_**


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